A little music never hurt anyone

This latest read is one that I think deserves more than a rant. I read An Equal Music by Vikram Seth. Wow! I started it on a quiet morning and could not put this one down. I went to bed that evening with roughly 100 pages left. I pick up a lot of the titles for books from "Bubba's Book Club" as I may have mentioned in an earlier post. (For those of you who don't know, Bubba is Neil Peart and he writes about books on his web.) This was one of those titles that I picked up after reading about it. I was not disappointed. Bubba has not let me down.

Without giving too much away, I must say that parts of this book were predictable but never the less I kept reading. There were some surprises too and it is these surprises that make those spots of predicability less irritating. The overall story was one that I couldn't walk away from. It is a love story on many levels. The main character was both endearing and someone I didn't really like at times. He came across as arrogant one minute and quite charming the next. At one point in time I wanted to slap him, but alas he is only a character in a book. It is music that makes this man who he is and it is music that breaks him.

The thing about this book that really stands out for me is the musical aspect and multitude of references to music and musical instruments, of which I have no clue. I did find a CD out there with the same title; many of the pieces that are mentioned in the book are on this CD. I am tempted to purchase it just to have it with my book. Music is something that brings us together. It can also tear us apart as is evident in the book. I often found myself thinking about the power of music. What would I do without music in my own life? I may not be able to hold a note or even play an instrument, but I sure to sing at the top of my lungs while I am driving in my car. Music is that common denominator, that language everyone seems to know and that bridge that crosses all barriers.

So, here it is my revelation. Music is that thing that every human has in common. We need to look to the songs in our hearts and find that drummer that makes us move as one. No conflicts, no wars, nothing pulling us apart. Impossible maybe, but still a song worth singing even if it is only in my head.